September Carribean Honeymoon advice needed?

Question

I am getting married in September; my fiancee and I want to go to a Caribbean Island or Mexico. I keep hearing horror stories about Caribbean weather for that time of year, which I was aware of. September is the best time for us to get married and we want our Honeymoon immediately after our wedding. Seems like it is truly a c**p shoot (for lack of a better word) for anywhere I have researched so far weather wise. Besides for over-priced Aruba- can any seasoned Caribbean traveler console me and guide me of where I should be looking into for this much anticipated event?

Answer 1

As you know weather is very unpredictable. We have traveled the horror months in the Caribbean and have been lucky. Pick your island but just take out hurricane travel insurance and have a backup plan.

Usually the hurricanes pick up steam around Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic and then it travels into the gulf to the USA. Some go south or west to Mexico.

I would look at these islands for affordable packages. The ABC islands (they are out of the hurricane belt)Aruba, Bonaire,Curacao. Check out St Martin/StMaarten, Trindad/Tobago,St Kitts/Nevis,Grenada and the US Virgin islands.

In Mexico, check out the Riviera Maya. (Playa del Carmen,Tulum,Puerto Morelos)

A good site to check out previous years weather patterns is this site. They give you 10 years or more weather history.

http://www.wunderground.com

click on trip planner

enter a specific destination

dates of travel

This will give you an idea what type of weather to expect over a 10 year span.

Most storms last a day or two and then move on. Just  keep a eye out for any bad weather coming your way so you can get prepared.

We were in Florida one year in October and they were forecasting a bad hurricane coming our way. Well, it stalled and we got out safely but we did make some alternate plans just in case.

Good Luck and just go for it. Congratulations and don't worry. You'll be fine)

Answer 2

From reading I've done, it doesn't seem that Aruba is any more "over-priced" than any other Caribbean island - they are all pretty pricey.  But Aruba is out of the hurricane zone.  There are a lot of vacation packages that go to Aruba and can be cheaper.  Also, you might want to check out renting a condo/apt so you can save some money on meals and drinks.

You might also consider a cruise.  Yes, they cruise through the hurricane zone, but the ships have state-of-the-art weather equipment and can [and do!] very easily avoid the storms.  Cruises in September are pretty reasonably-priced and they are a very relaxing vacation.

Answer 3

At that time of year you need to travel outside the hurricane belt. ABCs (Aruba, BonAire and Curacao) are outside, and St. Lcia is almost outside the zone. To save money, go for a house or villa rental. Stayed at one on st. lucia, about 2k for a week with cook at 10 dollars a day, and also a condo near Jan something beach in Curacao. Curacao has ok beaches but restaurants are quite good. For adventure try Santa Margarita off coast of Venezuela.